Vacuum street-cleaner.



J. E. DEARDORFF. VACUUM STREET CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED 1AN.30.1914.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

Q NM j E-I cZElDeamZar/f J. E. DEARDORFF.

VACUUM STREET CLEANER. APPLICATION FILED IAN- 30, I914- Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

3SHEETSSHEIET 2.

J. E. DEARDORFF.

VACUUM STREET CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-30.1914.

Patented Jan. IL 1916.

a v shaftsis mounted in brackets 13. Also UNHEU snares par ner ora ion.

means E. nnannoarr, or wrcnrre, KANSAS.

. VACUUIVI' STREET-CLEANER.

' 1 '0 all whom it may concern:

- a citizen of the the invention is to provlde'a. street cleaner which will pass over rough and uneven surfaces and thoroughly clean the same,

Another objectis to'prOVide a vacuum street cleaner in which the' 'brushes and the intake nozzle-are arranged 1n series. and independently mounted, so. that, the brushes may yield to unevensurfaces and draw the sprinkler and sprinkler broken away, elevation of the .dirt and refuse up through the intakenozzles to thoroughly clean the street.

These and other ob"'ects may by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section of a vacuum street cleaner and made in accordance with this invention, Fig". 2 is atop same with a portion of the sprinkler tank Fig. 3. is a front Fig. 4 is a detail ele same,

" ration and partial section of one of the intake nozzles. p I In the accompanylng drawings it will be seen that there are four intake nozzles, four settling tanks and vacuum chambers, and

four suction fans. It will beobvious, however, that any suitable number of each of the parts referred to may be used, and it .will also be apparent that since these de vices are of identical construction, the de-' scription of one will serve asv a description for all.

Referring "designates the vehicle to the drawings, the numeral 1 body, 2

is the motor for driving the vehicle and for operating the fans, 4: is the drivers seat,

5 is the steering wheel, and 6 is the hood extending over the drivers seat.

Mounted in a bracket 8 is the intake nozzle 9 provided with a flaring mouth'10. The

11 are each provided with rotary brushes shaft 12 and each of these an independent 3 Specification of Lettersfatent.

' the wheels 14 pass over be attained plan view of the tank 22;. Above the 22 is afvacuum chamber 25,and a curved vacuum chamber with water tank 30 having a are the wheels,

PatentedJan. i, leis.

Application filed January 30, 1914. Serial No. 315A69.

mounted in the brackets 13 are the axles 15 of the wheels 14, which run upon the ground.

The axles are supported on the nozzles 9. The brackets 13 have one end mounted on the shaft or axles 15 and their opposite en secured to the Sprocket wheel 16 is moun d on the shaft brushes 11 by a shaft 12.

15 and a sprocket wheel 1'3 is mounted on the shaft 12 and a chain 18 connects said sprocket wheels to rotate the brush 11 as the ground. The are each mounted teleintake nozzles 9 'scopically in the suction pipe '7 and willv thus conform to the uneven surface of the 5 .70

street by gravity.

.E'ach'of the pipes 7 leads up and into a refuse chamber 19 and as shown'in Fig; -2 there are four ofthese chambersoflike construction. Each of the refuse chambers 19 is provided with a clean-out cap 20 at its lower end and a depending discharge pipe 21 which communicates with the refuse chamber 19 at one side near the upper end thereof.

The discharge pipe 21 extends into the settling chamber 22, said settling chamber having a quantity of water 23 therein. The

lower end of the discharge pipe 21 carries aperforated enlargement 24 which is disposed normally-below the water line in the water line in. the-tank pipe 26 connects the from the pipe 26. A gasolene tank 29 is mounted onthe settling tanks for supplying fuel to the motor.

At the rear of the machine is mounted a sprinklin'g' tube 31 at itslower outer side'and a filling cap 32 at its upper side. I

A drive chain. 32 is actuated from the motor shaft and passes around a sprocket wheel 33 on a shaft-34: mounted underneath the frame of the machine. A sprocket chain 35 leads around a sprocket vwheel on the shaft 34 and around-a similar sprocket 36 on the shaft 37 mounted underneath the frame of the machine. 38 leads around a similar sprocket on the shaft 37 and around a sprocket 39 on a shaft 40 mounted in the frame. A chain 41 leads around a sprocket wheel 42 on the shaftelO and around a sprocket l 43 whee on the rear axle of the machine. A drive A sprocket chain chain 38 is used for, each fan casing 27,

. The sprinkler said chains passing over sprocket wheels. on shaft 37 and around sprocket wheelson the fan shafts. v t

The operation of' 'the cleaner may be briefly described as follows: As the machine moves along the street or road, the rotary brushes 13 loosen the refuse and dirt from-- the street and present it to the months 10 of the vacuum nozzles, andsince each of these nozzles is independently mounted they willlrise and fall to conform to the undulatingjsurface of the street and to pass over obstructions too 'large to be drawn up into .theInozzle The dirt and refuseis drawn up through the pipe 7 into therefuse chain ber 1 9--by means of the suctionfan. The

:dischargepipe 21 discharges into the water 323, and. the fan';d1"aWs the air through the rchamber. 25 and the pipe 26. and discharges it through the-outlet pipe 28. I a a follows the cleaning operatilon and prevents the dirt from rising fol- 10 wing the action ofthe machine. r-

Various changes inv theydetails of construction may be-resorted to without depart:

ing: from the spirit and scope of thein en-" tion as defined in the claims. 1 Q JVhat isclaimed is 1 1. A vacuum street cleaner comprising a suction pipe, an inta'l'ze nozzle mounted on said, nozzles, and mounted in a'suction pipe telescopically to permit independent movementiof'eachnozzle, ashaft mounted transversely in each of said nozzles and projecting' beyond on" both sides, ground ,Wheels 'mounted: on the ends of said shafts-brackets extending forwardly fro-m the ends ofxsaid shafts, rotary brushes, said brushes mounted on the forward ends ofsald bIQCkGlISfmGZ LIIS for rotating the brushes from said wheels,

a refuse chamber communicating with said pipes and a suction fan communicating with I said chamber.

, 6:111 testimony whereof I aflix myisignature of itwo witnesses. i JAMES E. DYEABDORFF. WitnessesL v v HT. GRAH M CAMPBELL, i JOHN lVin-mnrsou, a

in presence 

